Who Will You Follow? - Sermon

Who Will You Follow?
Titus 1:1 – 1:16

Introduction:

I will now describe some personalities from history. Try to determine what is the common ground of all the six people mentioned.

Adolf Hitler – known as the leader of the Third Reich. He was responsible for starting the Second World War in Europe as well as for the extermination of six million Jews in various concentration camps all throughout Europe.

Joseph Stalin – leader of the Soviet Union from 1922 to 1953. Responsible for the industrialization of the Soviet Union. He was also responsible for sending many people to Siberian Gulags or concentration camps as well as the persecution of all religions.

Mao Ze Dong – leader of the People's Republic of China from 1949 to 1976. He was responsible for the Cultural Revolution which led to the destruction of China's cultural heritage and the imprisonment of many who opposed Mao or who belonged to the social and cultural elite (the wealthy and the well-educated).

Ferdinand Marcos – Philippine president known for imposing Martial Law as well as for extra-judicial killings and stealing the nation's coffers.

Abraham Lincoln – President of the United States from 1861 to 1865. Led his country through a period of civil war and was responsible for ending slavery. Assassinated in April 15, 1865. He is famous for his speech in Gettysburg.

Corazon Aquino – Need I say more about her? I am sure we all know what she did being the president of the Philippines and bringing about real democracy to the country after many years of Martial Law.


What is the very first thing that you've noticed about these people that they all hold in common? Yes, they were leaders of their respective nations. Some of them were well-loved while the others were notorious, but what is striking is that, whether good or bad, people willingly followed them. Looking back, we all acknowledge Hitler to be an evil man but during his time, people willingly and blindly followed him. The same was true with Mao where many young people willingly participated in the Cultural Revolution. Even Marcos had many loyal supporters during the height of martial law and even after 1986. However, it is usually the leaders who have governed well, left a lasting legacy and have really touched the lives of their followers who will be fondly remembered for many generations to come. Evidence of this can be seen during the funeral of former President Aquino last August 5 as well as the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C.

Leaders who command a following usually possess certain characteristics that make them attractive to people. It may also be because they came into the picture at just the right time. Hitler was highly accepted by the German people because he came at a time when the German economy was in shambles and national pride was at an all-time low. His charisma and strong personality made him believable and as someone whom the nation would willingly put her trust in, even though his character and motive were questionable. Ultimately, he was responsible for bringing Germany to a destructive path.

Because of the lessons from history, people are now more demanding as to what kind of leaders we should have in government, in the business world, as well as in different organizations. Even in the church there is the expectation for leaders to live up to a certain standard. Unfortunately, the church in general, just like countless governments, businesses and organizations, has suffered from poor leadership. However, when we explore the Scriptures we will find many teachings about leadership and what are the qualities we should be looking for in a leader as well as the expectations upon us when we are leading others.

In this morning's Scripture passage, we find the apostle Paul addressing this issue in his letter to Titus. In this brief letter to his trusted aide, Paul gives clear instructions on what is expected of someone who is to be an elder in the church. While Paul may be speaking about elders, the qualifications he set forth are also applicable to all who are leaders in the body of Christ, whether elected into office or as a leader of a small group Bible study or of a particular ministry. In fact, it is even applicable to all lay people because leaders set the pattern for others to emulate and follow. The standards expected of leaders are the same standards followers must also live by. Before we look closely at the issue of leadership, let us consider first the context of the epistle to Titus.

Context:

As indicated in the name of the epistle, we know that Paul was writing to Titus, but who was Titus? We do not have a great deal of information regarding Titus, but when we look at the different references about this man, we find that Titus was one of Paul's most trusted and valuable helpers. It is also very likely that Titus was a convert through Paul's ministry, taken from the fact that Paul called him “my true son”. We know from Paul's letter to the Galatian churches that Titus accompanied Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem, most likely the time when the church council was going to meet to tackle the issue of whether or not Gentile believers should observe the Jewish traditions (see Acts 15:2). We also know for a fact that Titus was a Gentile as evidenced by Galatians 2:3 where it says that Titus was a “Greek” or a “Gentile” and that he was not compelled to be circumcised.

We find Titus as a man whom Paul trusted for the tough assignments of the ministry. When Paul wrote 1 Corinthians, a somewhat severe letter, it was Titus who was tasked to deliver the letter and to minister to the church in Paul's absence. He was also responsible for collecting the funds from the Corinthian church for the poor members of the church in Jerusalem. Titus was gifted with being an administrator, a troubleshooter in the churches that Paul planted. This explains why Titus was given a tough assignment – to minister in Crete.

Crete was no dream assignment. Crete is the largest of the Greek islands and, no doubt, there were many churches or congregations as implied by the command of Paul to appoint elders in every town. What made the assignment difficult was not the size of the island but the people of the island. The Cretans had a bad reputation. Paul did not make this up but instead he quoted from a Greek poet named Epimenides (600 BC) who ranked as one of the seven wise men of Greece. In verse 12, we read that the Cretans were liars, evil brutes and lazy gluttons. Furthermore, Paul mentioned about people from the circumcision group who were causing trouble in the churches, probably Jews who had infiltrated the churches and were spreading false teachings and bringing confusion to many. This explains why Titus was left by Paul in Crete. He was to troubleshoot the problem there and the way to handle the problem was to designate capable people to become elders in the different congregations throughout the land.

The main responsibility that Titus was assigned was to appoint elders in every town. it is obvious from this order that Titus was not to go about doing everything by himself but he was to share the responsibility, to pass on the work of administering the church and spreading the gospel to reliable men. However, what are the qualifications that were expected of the elders Titus was supposed to appoint? We also need to ask ourselves the relevant question: What do we expect of those who are our leaders today in the church? I also mentioned much earlier that the qualifications set for elders are actually the very things every member of the church should be doing and that the elders are to set the pattern or example for all to follow. So, to the many who are here this morning who do not necessarily hold leadership positions in the church but who are serious about following Jesus Christ, we must also pay attention to what Paul had to say to Titus so that we know what is expected of every faithful follower of Christ.

The apostle Paul outlined three main requirements a believer must meet in order to be a leader or an elder of the church. Let us spend the rest of the morning checking out what these are.

Requirement # 1: Family Leadership (v. 6)

The first requirement when choosing an elder or overseer for the church was his capability to lead his own family. Before a prospective elder can lead the church, which is the family of God, he must be able to manage and lead his own family well. Before one can lead on a macro or a large scale, he must prove himself to be competent on the small scale. Before one can become an example to the large congregation, he must first of all be an example to his own family. If someone cannot manage and lead his family well; if someone cannot live out the commands of Scriptures to his family and lead them to do likewise, what do you think will make him competent or capable when it comes to leading the church? The early church affirmed Paul's teaching when the Council of Carthage later on laid down the rule that all bishops, elders and deacons shall not be ordained into office before they have made all in their own households members of the church.

We may wonder, why did Paul mention that an elder must be the husband of but one wife? The reason this had to be mentioned was because the norm of the Gentile world, especially in a place like Crete, was for men to be anything but one-woman men. True, they only had one wife but they engaged in extra-marital activities. However, the teaching of Scriptures is clear that God's intention for marriage has always been and will always be “One man – one woman” or what we term as monogamy. Furthermore, the person being eyed to be a leader in the church must be completely faithful to his wife. This is the biblical norm and anyone who wants to lead the church must maintain and live up to the standards set by God.

It was very likely that Paul had in mind that older men would be called upon to be elders and he presumed that they weren't just married but they also had children. Thus, Paul also gave instructions with regards to the children. First, the children should be believers. They should have been carefully instructed in the ways of the Lord and they should have heard of the gospel and have responded to the message positively by coming to faith in Christ. The responsibility of leading the entire household to faith in Christ and to instruct them the Word of God was laid upon the men. Second, the children must not be unruly or disobedient. I don't think that what Paul was condemning was the naughtiness that little children expresses at times but rather, he was referring to older children, probably adolescents to young adults who would probably rebel against their parents and go about living in a riotous manner, like the prodigal son in Jesus' parable.

Rebellious and unbelieving children are a reflection of a father's inability to lead and manage his family properly while polygamy is a failure on a man's part to live up to God's standard for marriage. If a man being considered for leadership cannot do well on the home-front, how then can we expect them to do well in leading the church?

Requirement # 2: Unquestionable Character (vv. 6 - 8)

The second requirement in the selection of a leader for the church is a man's unquestionable character. Here, Paul gave Titus a list of qualities that a prospective elder should have as well as the negative things he must avoid if he is to lead the church. In the interest of time, we will not go through these two lists in detail but let us summarize what Paul wrote and what these meant.

For the negative things that need to be avoided, Paul listed that an elder must not be overbearing (arrogantly domineering), not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, and not one who pursues dishonest gain. Instead of these, an elder is supposed to be a hospitable person, a lover of the good, one who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined.

From these two lists, we can see a couple of things that everyone who wants to be a leader in the church must have. First, an elder or any leader in the church must not use his position or authority abusively and for his personal gain. He has been given his position in order to serve others. It is a sacred trust, a stewardship that God has given to him and he will be held accountable for how he used his position and authority. Second, he must also be more caring and understanding of the people he will lead. He is not running machines but leading people who have feelings and emotions and needs. Third, he must also maintain his personal testimony in the church, at home and in the marketplace or workplace. There must be a consistency in what he professes and how he lives out the Christian life. Finally, he must be someone who is taking care of his inner life (the idea behind the word “disciplined”). He must spend time with God regularly in order to strengthen himself spiritually and before he can lead anyone.

When a leader of the church remembers these things and he is careful to exercise them, it will become very hard to question his character. However, when a leader fails to exercise even one point, people will look at him with suspicion and mistrust. He will not be taken seriously. The same is true for every believer. Not all of us may have leadership positions but all of us are called to live a credible life. It brings the Lord great pleasure when his people are living up to the name that they bear. However, when they are not living up to par, it can damage their testimony before others and it will surely grieve the Lord.

Requirement # 3: Faithful Steward of God's Word (v. 9)

Finally, a potential leader of the church must be a faithful steward of God's Word. We find this in verse 9 where such a person is described as holding firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught and then faithfully transferring or teaching it to others who are willing to listen and learn as well as to refute those who oppose the Word of God.

A leader in the Lord's church should first of all be someone who loves the Word of God. He should be someone who has made it a regular habit to read the Word, to study the Word, and to meditate upon the Word. He must also be someone who knows how to apply the Word of God in practical, everyday situations. Aside from this, he must also be one who can use the Word of God in helping other people. This means they know how to teach others the Word of God.

A leader in the Lord's church is also responsible for defending the faith. Reading verses 10 to 16, we will find that the believers in Crete were being attacked doctrinally by people belonging to the Circumcision group or supposed believers who were emphasizing the need for circumcision and adherence to Jewish laws for salvation. There was also the pagan society that was Crete which was trying to deceive the church into following the mold of the world. Thus, it was extremely necessary for godly and well-versed leaders who would teach the believers and defend the faith. You know what? We also need such people right now in our church. It is because the influence of cults as well as of the world are continuously bombarding the church. This is why some people stray from the church. That is why we need leaders who are competent in handling the Word of God and in teaching the Word of God. If our leaders do not know how to handle the Word of God, then it will spell disaster for the church. Each person here will go from one doctrinal fad to the next, choosing whichever would be appealing to them, even if its outright wrong.

Again, while this third requirement is a must for all who are leaders in the church, I believe it is also a must for all believers even if they do not hold official position in the church, because we are supposed to be feed on God's Word in order that we may grow and that we may not be led astray.

Conclusion:

We've learned from Paul's letter to Titus that leadership in the church is serious business. Elders in the church need to be people who are also leaders in their families who has the respect of the wife and their children. They also need to have unquestionable character so that they will be above reproach and a good role model for others to follow. Finally, they must be faithful stewards of God's Word; people who are familiar with the Word and who live by the Word first, and able to teach others as well as defend the faith. What applies to the elders of the church applies also to everyone who is a leader as well as to everyone who is a follower.

Knowing that our leaders have to set such a high example, why not appreciate them for what they're doing? Pray for the leaders of the church that they will be continue to be the examples God intends for them to be. Be willing to follow our leaders when we know that what they are doing is for the good of the church. Let today's Scripture passage be a reminder also that choosing a leader is not a popularity contest but it should be all about choosing someone who meets the standards of the Lord. More importantly, let the standards set by the apostle Paul apply to you even if you're not formally a leader of the church, because we are all called to follow Christ through the modeling of our leaders and the fact that we are leaders to some degree and people are looking up as an example they can follow.